High-speed Internet use grew 42% last year as 8.3 million US homes and businesses signed up for broadband services, says the Federal Communications Commission.
By the end of 2003 broadband use grew to 28.2 million homes, driven largely by new residential and small-business customers. Cable-based services continued to be the most popular form of broadband service, accounting for 16.4 million lines.
Telephone-based digital subscriber line services accounted for 9.5 million homes, while 2.3 million high-speed lines used satellite, fibre-optic or wireless technologies.
Last month Comcast reported that broadband penetration in the US had continued to grow during March and was expected to reach 50% of US Internet users by July 2004 (see US Broadband Penetration To Reach 50% By July).
